Pebble Beach >> Steve John would make an ideal spokesman for an energy elixir company. Personable and in constant motion, he was hired in December 2011 to oversee the Monterey Peninsula Foundation after owning a automotive dealership in Soquel for 25 years.

John, the foundation’s tournament director, president and CEO, replaced Steve Worthy. He assumed the job from Ollie Nutt, who held the position for more than a decade.

This week, John is overseeing his fifth AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The foundation also produces the First Tee Open, the annual Champions Tour event headquartered at Pebble Beach in September.

Beyond orchestrating the AT&T professional and celebrity fields, John and his staff of 12 have introduced and marketed more fan-oriented tournament components. Concessions, interactive scoring and other technology as well as spectator viewing sites have improved. A $1 million hole-in-one contest was added this year at Pebble Beach as part of the tournament’s pre-championship, charity-focused events.

This year, with the possible of El Niño arriving during tournament week, further attention was focused on disaster and evacuation preparation at the tournament’s three courses.

Two years ago, John was also the recipient of attention he would have rather not received. During a volunteer party on the eve of the 2014 tournament, John choked on a cheese appetizer and couldn’t breathe. Clint Eastwood performed the Heimlich maneuver and saved John’s life. The incident made international headlines. It was further intriguing since it was the second time in eight years John was a Heimlich maneuver recipient.

John, 52, who describes himself as a “terrible 2” handicap golfer, lives with his wife, Lisa, in Monterey. The couple have two adult children.

The Herald spoke with John on the eve of AT&T tournament week:

Q What’s been tougher than you expected about the job?

A There are so many moving parts to this tournament, but it’s probably preparing for an evacuation during tournament play. That’s probably the most challenging. The reason for that is that you’ve got three courses, 312 players, 312 caddies, 156 walking scorers and you have to consider all of that and spectators. You got to get them off the courses safely.

We experienced it a little bit in 2014 (with weather delays), but we are better prepared this year. But you got the volunteers and the vans and they have to know where they’re going. I think that’s been the biggest challenge.

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Q What’s been a pleasant surprise about the job?

A I think the staff I worked with is amazing. During tournament week we move into on-site, double-wide trailers. We laugh a lot. We have one those Nerf guns and we put it to good use. Another pleasant thing is that the players and celebrities understand their roles and responsibilities. It’s all about raising money for charity and 99 percent of time they really get it.

Q Where do you see the tournament in the future?

A I think just to spread the word more. Pebble Beach and the Monterey Peninsula offer plenty of attraction by themselves. But when you put the event on an increasing global platform like we have, it just helps golf. And that, of course, will trickle down to the U.S. Open in 2019. I think for the tournament we just improve every year. We just have to keep asking, “What do people want when they come to Pebble Beach?”

Q You’re an enthusiastic guy. Did you bring something from your former occupation into this job, and where does your energetic personality come from?

A I got it from my mother and father. I’m very similar to my dad. He was very positive. My glass is always have full, usually with red wine. You know, I enjoy people. I enjoy striving for success with people who are like-minded. I don’t get down a lot. It’s not worth it.

Q Are there similarities between the car business and the golf business?

A My job in the car dealership was to support the community. I didn’t do TV ads. I didn’t do newspaper ads. It wasn’t about me. It was about the business and the employees. It’s the same here. It’s about raising money for the charity.

Q Since your choking incident, what is your relationship like when you see Clint Eastwood?

A The funniest thing to capture it is that when someone asked him,”‘It was your first time doing the Heimlich. What would have happened if he didn’t make it?” He said, “If he goes, he goes”’ I figured out real quickly where I stood. Actually, it’s a constant joke. I can’t get away from the cheese jokes. But it’s better than not being here. I can put up with it.